Officers Killed on Duty

Constable Ireneusz 'Eric' Czapnik 

May 26, 1958 – December 29, 2009

Constable Ireneusz “Eric” Czapnik was a proud Polish Canadian who truly enjoyed interacting with the public and serving the community. After moving to Canada in 1990, Cst. Czapnik became an active volunteer with the Polish Community Association and enjoyed playing in the Old Timers' Ottawa Carleton Soccer League. Cst. Czapnik joined the Ottawa Police Service in April 2007, following in the footsteps of his father, a police officer of 30 years in Poland. He was a husband and the father of four children – three sons and a daughter.

Cst. Czapnik was on duty in the early morning hours of December 29, 2009, investigating an assault. After bringing the victim to the Civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital, Cst. Czapnik remained outside of the Emergency entrance in order to file his report. He was then approached by a man and stabbed. Despite efforts from medical personnel, Cst. Czapnik, 51, died of his injuries shortly after the attack.

Constable David Utman

August 11, 1945 – October 14, 1983

David Utman was married with two boys, and his family remembers him as a man who usually had a joke to share, a very infectious laugh and many, many friends. On October 14, 1983, Utman stopped at a mall to speak to an employee. A 22-year-old convict approached Utman in a café and pointed a revolver at him. The gunman ordered the officer to stand up and fired a shot that went just above the Constable's head. Utman tried to reason with the man while he backed the escapee out of the café in order to protect those around him. After trying unsuccessfully to calm the man down, Utman was shot in the chest and killed. The suspect ran from the scene but was arrested later that day. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. After his death at 38 years old, Utman was awarded the Ontario Medal of Police Bravery.

Constable Russell O'Connor

April 18, 1942 – September 7, 1983

On September 7, 1983, 41-year-old Constable Russell O'Connor was answering a police call on his Kawasaki, when the motorcycle went out of control and slammed into a median on the westbound Queensway. He was rushed to the hospital, but died from his injuries shortly after the accident. ‘Russ,' as he was known, was a husband, father, and an 18-year veteran of the Ottawa Police. A coroner's jury found that a combination of high-speed wobble and a helmet that failed to protect the officer were probable contributors to O'Connor's death. As a result of this tragedy, the Ottawa Police removed the entire fleet of motorcycles from the roads.

Constable Kenneth Swett

March 8, 1951 – July 17, 1981

On July 17, 1981, O.P.P. Constable Kenneth Swett was transporting a man from Ottawa to his residence in the Petawawa area. He received a vehicle for observation call on the radio for a drunk driver when he was about two and a half miles south of Highway 44, in the West Carleton Township. The impaired driver veered into his lane and struck the cruiser. Both cars instantly went up in flames, killing everybody in both vehicles. Constable Swett was 30 years old and a 7 ½-year veteran of the force.

Constable David Kirkwood

October 26, 1955 – July 11, 1977

On Monday, July 11, 1977, rookie Constable David Kirkwood was aiding in the arrest of a 22-year-old man on an outstanding warrant for assault causing bodily harm. The Ottawa Police had located the suspect in a house on Gladstone Avenue. Constable Kirkwood arrived on scene with his training officer. As the two officers approached the resident, the suspect fired out the side window. The bullet struck 21-year-old Constable David Kirkwood. He died on the scene. The situation exploded into a three-hour gun battle with more than fifty officers involved. When the suspect finally surrendered, police found an arsenal that included a 12-gauge shotgun, .303 calibre rifle and a .22 calibre rifle. Cst. Kirkwood's death inspired the Canadian Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial.

Sergeant David Tuckey

March 29, 1933 – January 21, 1970

On January 21, 1964, Traffic Officer David Tuckey was returning early to the station. It was his last night in the traffic department as he had been promoted to the morality division. Constable Tuckey was thrown from his motorcycle when he collided with a car on Nicholas Street near Hurdman Road. He received extensive head injuries which left him off work for over a year and a half. Unable to return to active duty, David Tuckey was re-assigned to the court section. Five years after the accident, the recently promoted Sergeant was on duty in Traffic Court when he collapsed and died of a heart attack. He was 37 years old. He was survived by his wife and four children.

Constable John Robert Maki

August 22, 1935 – April 4, 1966

On April 4, 1966, Cst. Maki was responding to a complaint of a man walking on a road discarding his clothing. The man was taken to the Royal Ottawa Sanatorium. A struggle ensued when the man tried to flee. He was able to remove Cst. Maki's revolver from his holster and fire five shots, killing him. The man was later found not guilty of the murder by reason of insanity. Cst. Maki was survived by his wife Marlyn. Cst. Maki was 30 years old with 10 years of service.

Constable Jeffrey Armstrong

January 11, 1940 – May 13, 1963

A catastrophic mishap resulted in the death of a young officer on May 13, 1963. Cst. Armstrong was in his first week of police duty. Cst. Armstrong and a fellow recruit officer were preparing for a parade inspection when the other officer noticed some dust on his service revolver. He removed the gun from his holster to clean it and accidentally fired the weapon. The bullet struck Constable Armstrong in the stomach. He died of internal bleeding 40 minutes later.

Detective Thomas Stoneman

February 18, 1908 – October 29, 1945

Detective Stoneman was a well-loved and gregarious man. He was a husband and father of one-year-old twins. He also had an entrepreneurial spirit that led him to own and operate a sawmill in his off hours. He showed an enduring dedication to his family, helping put his two brothers through engineering school.

On October 24, 1945, Detective Stoneman was on patrol with Constable Russell Berndt. Shortly after 1 a.m., the officers confronted three suspects who had been reported for breaking into cars. One of the suspects turned and shot Detective Stoneman in the chest. For the next five days, he fought for his life but died on October 29 at the age of 37. 

Constable Harold Dent

March 2, 1903 – June 20, 1940

On the morning of June 20, 1940, O.P.P. Constable Harold (Hal) Dent of the Rockland Detachment received a phone call about a suspicious person at the train station in Navan. When he approached the suspect and asked him to identify himself, the man pulled a gun from his coat and shot Constable Dent, mortally wounding him in the abdomen. He died within an hour, still on the floor of the station, leaving a wife and infant son. The gunman—a transient wanted for a break and enter in Quebec the night before—was pursued by off-duty Ontario Provincial Police officer Acting Sergeant Allan Stringer, who shot and killed him a short distance away from the train station. Sergeant Harold Dent, Constable Dent's grandson, works with us at Ottawa Police today.

Constable John Montgomery

February 20, 1908 – July 31, 1931

Constable John Montgomery transferred from the Department of highway Motorcycle Patrol to the Westboro detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police in 1930. On July 31, 1931, while on motorcycle patrol eastbound on Carling Avenue, a vehicle ahead of him veered out of its lane to avoid a parked car. While attempting the same maneuver, he was killed in a head-on collision with a westbound vehicle. He was 23 years old and left a wife and young son behind.

Constable Miles Campbell

June 14, 1899 – June 9, 1929

On June 9, 1929, Traffic Constable Miles Campbell of the Carleton County Police Department was patrolling Montreal Road near Green's Creek accompanied by his police chief. At 4 a.m., they stopped a suspicious vehicle. While Constable Campbell was standing at the driver's window with his back to the road, another vehicle driving at a high rate of speed collided with the rear of the parked automobile. The impact ripped off the running board and threw Cst. Campbell over ten metres, killing him. He was 29 years old, had ten months of service, and was to have been married just three days later.

Constable George Constantineau

August 14, 1915 – November 17, 1954

Constable George Constantineau was a veteran traffic officer with 17 years of service. On November 17, 1954, he was returning to the station after performing motorcycle escort duty. As he navigated through the maze of construction on Sussex Drive, his police motorcycle struck the end of a boulevard curb. The bike flipped, throwing Constantineau to the far end of the island. He died from his injuries. He was survived by his wife and four children.

Constable Hiram F. O'Callaghan

April 8, 1884 – January 12, 1928

On January 12, 1928, Provincial Traffic Constable Hiram F. O'Callaghan was operating his motorcycle southbound on the Prescott Highway from Ottawa to Kemptville. Between Manotick and North Gower, he noticed a northbound truck and attempted to maneuver on the frozen road to allow safe passage. Turning his handlebars, he successfully moved his front wheel out of a deep rut but icy conditions caused the motorcycle to skid directly into the front of the truck throwing Constable O'Callaghan more than six metres. He died instantly. Constable O'Callaghan, who had been with the Provincial Department of Highways for eight months, was 43 years of age and left behind a wife and six children.